Ein Tännlein grünet wo, Op. 31, No. 5

Rheinberger's SATB partsong begins with a delicate, imitative texture, sketching the image of a greening fir tree and a rose bush, their origins a mystery. This gently unfolding musical idea soon gives way to a more somber reflection, however. The German text shifts to two black horses grazing, only to return as steeds accompanying a funeral procession. The music mirrors this change, becoming more hushed and introspective as the poem contemplates the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death, ending with a stark image of the horses' hooves and the glint of iron.